Some campgrounds are built around convenience—close to major attractions, designed for quick turnover, or tailored to busy weekends. Miller’s Family Camp offers something different. Tucked away on Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula, it’s a place where family roots run deep, and every season is shaped by hard work and genuine hospitality.

For Lindsay deMalmanche and her husband, Arran, carrying on the family tradition wasn’t always the plan, but it quickly became the right path.

Rooted in Family, Shaped by Experience

Miller’s Family Camp first opened in 1967 when Lindsay’s grandparents bought the property. Their son—Lindsay’s father—and his sisters took over after them. As part of the third generation, Lindsay spent her childhood summers there, growing up among the rhythm of new campers arriving each week and the familiar routine of seasonal activities.

“This is where I spent my time every summer,” Lindsay recalled. “Every week, there was a new set of kids to play with. It was great. It was a fun thing to do.”

After Lindsay grew up, went to university, and earned a degree in human biology, she set off to travel, unsure of her next step. But when her father and his siblings began planning for retirement, they asked Lindsay if she would be interested in taking the campground into the next generation.

“I'm like, ‘Hey, I need to really do something with my life other than what I am doing now.’ This is something I always had in the back of my mind as something I could do,” Lindsay remembered. “I had a few odd jobs. And then my dad and his two sisters were like, ‘You know, we really kind of want to retire. Is this of interest to you?’ And then I sat and thought about it, and I decided, yeah, it does interest me.”

Lindsay worked alongside her family for several years before eventually stepping fully into leadership with her husband, Arran, at her side.

From National Parks to Family Roots

Lindsay and Arran’s partnership began across the world, with the great outdoors as their common ground.

“I grew up in New Zealand, in a small town,” Arran shared. “I’d been traveling around Europe and some of America. I got back to New Zealand and volunteered at a national park, and Lindsay was traveling and volunteering there, too. And now I live here!”

Their connection started through shared experiences, but it was their complementary skills and mindset that made them a natural fit for campground life.

“I trained as an auto mechanic, but I worked on just about every type of machinery you can think of,” he explained. “I worked as a builder, too, learning how to build a house and doing all the electric, plumbing, heating, ventilation, and trim. That sort of thing lends itself to a campground quite well.”

Lindsay and Arran both appreciate the variety that comes with running a campground, and their past experiences helped prepare them for it. Today, they manage every corner of Miller’s Family Camp: guest services, office work, property upkeep, and everything in between.

“One minute I am helping a customer, the next minute I’m doing the bookkeeping for the business, or I’m out helping with trees, or I’m cleaning,” Lindsay said. “I really love seeing the people in the spring, but by Thanksgiving, it’s winter and I need that downtime to recharge. You still work, but it’s at a more relaxed pace.”

As the park has grown, managing the team has also become a big part of Lindsay’s role.

“Staffing is another key piece that you get to do,” Lindsay said. “It’s a part of my variety. I get to help manage staff and organize them, so you need to know how to do a little bit of everything.”

“Owning a campground is a lifestyle,” Lindsay added. “It’s different from any other job.”

Lindsay and Arran’s day-to-day involves a little bit of everything. But whether it’s handling maintenance, managing staff, or helping guests, their mindset stays the same—protect what makes the park special and adapt where it counts.

Keeping the Heart, Adjusting with the Times

Miller’s Family Camp remains a place where the basics matter most: clean spaces, simple hospitality, and a deep respect for the outdoors. Many of the traditions started by Lindsay’s grandparents continue today.

“I would say that we have just tweaked what the previous generation did, and have changed a little bit with the time,” Lindsay shared. “I believe the previous generation felt that customer service was very important and in keeping things simple and basic and friendly. I feel we're still carrying on those traditions, but then we're also having to adjust our practices, like going through COVID, which the previous generation didn’t have to do.”

While the fundamentals have stayed the same, Lindsay and Arran have made thoughtful updates. They’re currently adding air conditioning and heaters to the cottages and considering new camping cabins to offer more options for guests. 

“We’ve improved a lot of little things,” Lindsay said, “but nothing crazy. Families who come back after many years still feel like it’s the same place.”

One recent season brought a full-circle moment that captured what Miller’s Family Camp is all about.

“We had a family staying with us who hadn’t stayed in a long time,” Lindsay remembered. “They brought their kids, and now their kids have kids of their own. They were so happy the place hadn’t changed much and they were able to come back and share the same experience with their children.”

Adapting with CampLife

For years, Lindsay and Arran ran reservations using a pencil-and-paper system that worked well for their needs. But as guest expectations changed—and more campers started planning trips outside of business hours—they began looking for a way to offer greater flexibility.

“When I signed up with CampLife, I wanted people to be able to book online in the middle of the night,” Lindsay said. “Pencil and paper worked, but the automation has made things so much less time-consuming.”

Arran saw the shift firsthand, especially during the holidays.

“Our phone used to ring on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day,” he shared. “Families would be together, talking about camping for the summer. They’d call to make a booking right then. Now, with CampLife, they don’t have to wait—they can just go online and do it themselves.”

Offering online reservations has helped Miller’s Family Camp meet guests where they are, especially as trips have become shorter and more spontaneous. It also simplified operations behind the scenes, particularly with tools like CampLife’s Sign+Store.

“Sign+Store is super helpful,” Lindsay said. “Now that we have so many documents—legal documents, liability waivers—it’s very helpful to have them organized.”

Technology may have updated how reservations are managed, but it hasn’t changed the campground’s core. The heart of what guests return for each year remains the same.

A Place Where Memories Grow

Some guests return to Miller’s Family Camp year after year, holding onto long-standing traditions. Others come for the first time, and something about the experience—whether it’s the setting, the pace, or the people—becomes part of their story.

“A few years ago, an older couple came through with an RV and parked out in the field,” Arran recalled. “They had a friend who passed away, and they were traveling across North and South America, scattering his ashes in places he would have loved. They chose our campground as one of those places.”

It was a quiet moment that stuck with Arran and Lindsay. In the middle of everyday work, they were reminded that the spaces they care for mean something real to the people who visit.

At CampLife, we’re proud to support parks like Miller’s Family Camp, parks that balance tradition with thoughtful change and create space for family memories to grow season after season. If you’d like to see how CampLife can help you run your park while preserving what matters most, reach out. We'd love to talk.